The Truth

The sound of sobbing echoed through the small courtyard as a chilling wind swirled, causing fallen leaves to settle and then take flight once more.

Zhao Lao’er knelt beside Old Madam Zhao’s corpse, weeping uncontrollably as if venting all the pent-up frustration and fear in his heart. He began to recount the misfortunes that had befallen his family in recent times.

Zheng Que stood to the side, listening quietly.

Ever since Old Man Zhao had passed away half a year ago, Old Madam Zhao had been desperate to find a wife for Zhao Lao’er.

However, the Zhao family had always been ordinary folk. After Old Man Zhao’s death, with no pillar to rely on, the orphaned son and widowed mother struggled to make ends meet, and their circumstances took a sharp turn for the worse. Zhao Lao’er, who had just come of age, was honest to a fault but lacked capability. How could a suitable girl be found for him in such a short time?

Old Madam Zhao sought out many matchmakers, but to no avail, leaving her increasingly anxious and desperate.

Finally she managed to find a wife for her son: Sun Cui’er.

At first Zhao Lao’er was overjoyed. But on their wedding night, out of habit, he placed his shoes one facing forward and one backward in front of the bed. When Sun Cui’er, freshly washed and groomed, entered the inner room, she wandered around, unable to find the bed.

Zhao Lao’er was so terrified that he stayed awake the entire night. For several days afterward he was jumpy and afraid to close his eyes. The next morning he immediately told Old Madam Zhao what had happened, only to be scolded and urged to get closer to Sun Cui’er.

After that, Zhao Lao’er sought him out.

There might have been more details in between, but at this moment Zhao Lao’er’s sobs had become so distorted they were barely intelligible.

Watching the sky gradually darken, Zheng Que hesitated no longer. With a swift palm strike he knocked Zhao Lao’er unconscious and tossed him into the house.

A short while later Zheng Que returned to his own dwelling. As he closed the door behind him the sky outside had completely darkened, and Yin Qi surged heavily throughout the world.

Instead of immediately beginning his cultivation, he looked up at Qing Li, who was already swinging from the beam like a pendulum. “Thank you for earlier.”

Although Qing Li was his ghost servant, during the earlier battle she had taken the initiative to help him with all her strength without him needing to issue a single command. This had genuinely taken him by surprise.

Of course, the main reason was likely that she had been intimidated by the orders he had given her in the Underworld.

Hearing this, Qing Li smiled proudly.

She had been chosen by the great one in the Underworld and granted a great opportunity, elevating her far beyond an ordinary female ghost.

This insignificant little human boy was now only fit to lick her toes.

However, as the saying goes, when one ghost attains the Dao, even the chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. As her “chicken or dog,” this human boy was simply fortunate.

Unfortunately, he was rather clueless. Earlier, he hadn’t even thought to offer her that Zhao Lao’er as a snack.

Thinking of this, Qing Li snorted coldly but said nothing.

Seeing that Qing Li didn’t respond, Zheng Que continued, “When did you master that trick of imitating Zhao Lao’er’s voice?”

During the battle with Old Madam Zhao, he had seen clearly how Qing Li used Zhao Lao’er’s voice to trick Old Madam Zhao into responding.

Once Old Madam Zhao responded, Qing Li, who had initially been at a disadvantage, suddenly gained the upper hand.

This was not unfamiliar to Zheng Que.

The Calling Ghost’s technique required the opponent to respond before it could be activated, but he wasn’t entirely clear on the specific effects.

Upon hearing Zheng Que’s question, Qing Li, who had been hanging in silence, immediately assumed an extremely arrogant expression and said smugly, “This lady has been there once…”

Before she could finish, she seemed to suddenly think of something and promptly changed her words. “I don’t know. This lady is a natural genius and just figured it out on her own!”

Seeing Qing Li’s reaction, Zheng Que’s expression remained unchanged, but he immediately understood: whatever Qing Li was deliberately hiding must be related to the Underworld.

Back then, after the Calling Ghost was eliminated, its name was recorded in the Book of Life and Death.

A day later, Qing Li’s name was also recorded, and he had even brought her into the Underworld.

The ability Qing Li had just used must have come from the Calling Ghost.

What the Book of Life and Death recorded was likely not just names, but also the corresponding target’s power.

Thinking of this, Zheng Que took a deep breath and asked, “So, what exactly does that ability of yours do?”

Qing Li replied briefly, “As long as the opponent responds to this lady, I can borrow their power or certain other things from their voice.”

“The more the opponent responds, the stronger the power this lady can borrow!”

Borrow the opponent’s power?

Zheng Que quickly thought of the Calling Ghost. At that time, he had responded to it once, and it had been able to directly break into his home.

Back then, what the Calling Ghost borrowed was probably not his power, but the right to enter.

If he had responded one more time, it might have directly borrowed his life.

After figuring out the reason, Zheng Que nodded slightly and said no more. He sat cross-legged on the bed and began that day’s cultivation.

His mind sank into emptiness, capturing streams of energy, refining and absorbing them to replenish his consumed spiritual power. The entire process was already familiar to Zheng Que.

After cultivating for a while he opened his eyes. Before him lay the vast, dilapidated hall, with the Book of Life and Death spread open on the mottled long table.

Sensing that his Divine Soul had improved once more, Zheng Que noticed a new name on the yellowed page before him.

…Zhao Qian-shi [1]. Origin: Great Li Dynasty, Marsh Province… Lifespan: Forty-six years, eight months, and two days. Died suddenly at the hour of Si.

Looking at Old Madam Zhao’s name, Zheng Que shook his head slightly. He didn’t know her exact age, but judging by the time of her death and the manner of her demise, he could infer that the real Old Madam Zhao had actually been dead for some time.

However, she was somewhat different from Qing Li and the Calling Ghost.

Despite having died long ago, she had retained the habits and mindset of her lifetime.

This was strange.

Additionally, the name of Zhao Lao’er’s wife, Sun Cui’er, was not recorded in the Book of Life and Death. This was likely because the corpse had been dead for too long and its soul had long since dissipated.

Time passed slowly, and soon it was the early morning of the next day.

Zheng Que immediately packed up, ate a few pieces of dry rations and left the house, heading toward the dilapidated temple as usual.

Familiar with the route, he arrived outside the temple, straightened his robe, pushed open the courtyard gate and walked in.

The courtyard was overgrown with weeds, their tips adorned with crystal-clear dewdrops. The withered old tree swayed its branches in the wind, casting mottled shadows on the courtyard wall, tearing out a menacing, claw-like silhouette.

Zheng Que walked directly into the dilapidated temple and bowed to Daoist Qu on the prayer mat. “Greetings, Master.”

Daoist Qu opened his eyes, gave a slight nod and looked at him calmly. “Everything that can be learned at the first layer of Qi Refining, I have already taught you.”

“Today, do you wish to learn spells for the second layer and beyond? Or Alchemy? Talisman Drawing? The Dao of Artifact Forging?”

Hearing this, Zheng Que was slightly taken aback and immediately asked, “Master, will you not examine this disciple’s 【Yin Gathering Art】 and 【Spirit Eye Technique】?”

Daoist Qu shook his head calmly. “Everything that happens in this small town cannot escape my notice.”

“You already used both arts yesterday, so there is no need for me to waste time examining them today.”

Hearing this, Zheng Que immediately understood that the events in the Zhao family courtyard yesterday were already known to his master.

Thinking of this, he promptly replied, “Reporting to Master, this disciple wishes to learn more about ghosts!”

Daoist Qu nodded calmly. “Good!”

[1] Zhao Qian-shi: formal name of Old Madam Zhao. The “-shi” suffix denotes a married woman’s maiden family name in classical Chinese convention.